France 1836-BB 1/2 franc
This specimen was lot 3153 in Sincona sale 26 (Zürich, October 2015), where it sold for 350 CHF (about US$432 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Louis Philippe, 1830-1848 1/2 Franc 1836. BB, Strasbourg. Vorzüglich. (France, Louis Philippe, 1830-48. half franc of 1836, Strasbourg mint. Extremely fine.)"
This dime-sized coin was struck at Paris under the régime of king Louis Philippe. It is rather scarce date of a type struck 1831-45. All half francs of this reign are of this type, which is common. It was replaced in 1845 by a fifty centimes piece (F.183) and demonetized in 1869. The catalog[1] notes 114 dates for the type, some very rare. This date is priced about quadruple the commonest date (1841-A, 1842-B or 1845-B).
Recorded mintage: 22,397[2].
Specification: 2.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, 18 mm diameter, reeded edge. Designed by Joseph François Domard, 1792-1858, this specimen 2.50 g.
Catalog reference: Gadoury 408. F.182/66, KM 741.3.
- [2]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2013.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Ruedi Kunzmann and Arne Kirsch, Numismatic Rarities, Auction 25, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2015.
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